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Poster Award
Poster Award

Michael E. Troka

Dental Student
University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Michael Troka is a fourth-year dental student at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine (2022-2026) and a candidate in the Basic and Translational Research Honors Program. He grew up in Plymouth, Wisconsin before completing his undergraduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania through the 7 Year Bio-Dental Program (2019-2023), earning a BA in Biology summa cum laude. Michael developed TrokaChatML, a machine learning framework that analyzes single-cell RNA sequencing data to predict perturbed cell-cell communications, simulate the downstream molecular effects of these perturbations, and predict pharmaceutical targets and drug mechanisms of action for therapeutic intervention. His research focuses on leveraging computational approaches to understand disease mechanisms, including previous work on diabetes, wound healing, and atopic dermatitis. Michael’s most recent work focuses on utilizing multiomic data and machine learning to predict the transformation of oral premalignant lesions to cancer and immunoprofiling the tumor microenvironment in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

His work has been recognized with the AADOCR Hatton Award (First Place, Junior Category), selection as an IADR Hatton Award Finalist, and the ADA Crest and Oral-B Promising Researcher Award. He actively presents his research at national and international conferences and has multiple manuscripts published and in peer-review. As a co-investigator on a clinical trial examining molecular profiling of oral premalignant lesions and an AADOCR Student Research Fellow, Michael is committed to advancing translational research that bridges computational innovation with clinical application. He is grateful for the support and guidance of his mentors Dr. James Gates, Dr. Dana Graves, and Dr. Michael Gonzalez. Michael is pursuing a career in oral and maxillofacial surgery with the goal of integrating scientific inquiry with surgical practice to improve outcomes for the patients we serve.

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